Trust No One
by DixonVixen93
Summary: Nicknames 'verse: Deleted Scene from "Ghost". Mandy is suspicious of Neville's recent brash behavior towards Bass. When she runs into a familiar face, all of this just might blow wide-open.


**Hey guys! Here's a new Nicknames 'verse fic, based off of the newest episode "Ghost". **

**I own nothing. Chronologically, this takes place a few months before "If Today Was Your Last Day". **

_**Trust No One**_

Mandy folded her arms over her chest, glancing down at her fiancé. She was leaning against his desk, pondering over their most recent visit from Captain Neville. "I'm really concerned about Tom. He seems a bit—" the brunette struggled for the right words, "_jealous_."

"Jealous?" Bass repeated, frowning as he met with her eyes. "No, I don't think he's jealous," the president sat up and took his future wife's hands into his own, "he just lost his son, Mandy."

"Oh, I'm not denying that he's grieving. It's just… I'm starting to question his respect for your authority. The way he looked at you when you told him that Randall could handle the search without him… it was almost like he could just take you out then and there," Mandy reasoned, shaking her head.

"Tom will just have to understand that I made him sit this one out with the best intentions possible. If he doesn't then well, we'll just have to deal with it in some other way," Sebastian replied, kissing each of his fiancée's knuckles sweetly.

"I know that he has been your best friend since—" the brunette paused, unsure whether she should continue or not.

"Since Miles," Bass finished for her, venom dripping from his voice as he spoke his former best friend's name. He then rose to his feet, cupping her face in one hand. "But you've been much more, haven't you?"

Mandy smiled up at him from under her eyelashes. "I just… don't like the way he's been carrying himself lately."

"Has he said something out of line to you?" the president asked his bride-to-be. "Because if he has—"

"No, no. I just think that he has an issue with you. That's just what his body language is telling me," the pregnant brunette supplied, running a hand up and down her fiancé's back for support.

"I'll have a word with him, alright?" Bass kissed Mandy once, then he glanced down at her slightly protruding stomach. "I can't imagine what he's going through right now."

"Be careful, okay?" Mandy spoke, almost pleading. "He's not exactly your right hand man right now, and I think he really cannot stand that."

The president's eyebrows furrowed respectively. "Do you think he'll be more of a threat than anything else? Mandy, you know that I don't trust anyone," he leant forward and brought her to rest against his chest. "I let my men do what they please, as long as it is under my terms. I'd hate to think that another one of my men will betray me, but I know that it is very possible."

"Honey," the brunette began, reaching up to caress the light stubble that decorated her future husband's face, "I'm not saying that he will betray you. But I just am starting to not trust him so much, either."

"I will give Tom the benefit of the doubt. After all, he is going through a tough time right now," Bass closed his eyes and took in his fiancee's sweet scent. It was nice to have her close. He hated having to push her away because of this nonsense. "Though, to know that you find the matter slightly unnerving…"

Mandy nuzzled her nose against his, a smile gracing her lips. "I'm glad to know that you trust my judgment, at least."

"Of course I do," the president sighed and opened his eyes back up to look into hers. "You're the only one that I trust in this damn world."

The pregnant brunette broke free from her future husband's embrace and offered him her hand. "Come on, how about I fix you something to eat?"

Bass slipped an arm around her shoulders as he led her out of his office. "I'd do anything for your cooking, m'dear," he whispered into her ear, planting a kiss on her brown locks.

Mandy giggled, keeping up with his stride and snuggling deeper into his side.

"I'd also do anything to hear that cute giggle of yours," Monroe grinned, "it's like music to my ears."

The couple vanished into the kitchen, where the possibilities of food were endless. Even though they lived in a post-apocalyptic world, they still were able to improvise with what they had. In fact, Mandy was quite the cook, and she often gave the hired hands nights off. She was fully capable of cooking, and she loved every minute of cooking for her fiancé.

o—o—o

Julia Neville had become best friends with Mandy over the years. As of late, however, she hadn't seen much of the older woman. After she heard about Jason's passing, Mandy had been hoping to see her again, so that she could give her condolences. What else were friends for if they weren't there for each other in times of need? Fortunately, for the brunette, she caught Julia on her most recent visit to see Tom. Mandy thought it was strange how the Nevilles weren't spending more time together, seeing how they suffered such a great loss, but yet she knew that every family handled stress differently.

Mandy shut the door to her future husband's office, leaving him to his work. He was starting to get in one of his moods, which meant that she needed to leave before she got a mood right back at him. When she began to pad off in the opposite direction, she ran into none other than Julia Neville herself.

"Julia," the expecting brunette began, holding her arms out to hug the other woman. "How are you? It's been forever!"

"I've been alright. I'm just looking for my husband and our son. Have you seen them?" Julia very nearly missed the strange look coming across Mandy's face. "What's with the face? Is everything okay?"

The brunette rested her hand on the older woman's back and led her away. "Julia, when was the last time you heard from either of them?"

"It's been a while. Tom has been… distant lately. It's worrying me some kind of fierce. And my son isn't much better about keeping me in the loop," the blonde just sighed, "is my husband in his office?"

"Yeah. I—I suppose so," Mandy stammered. She was having a hard time figuring out why Neville would keep something as serious as their child's death away from his wife. What the hell was going on with him? The pregnant brunette began to wonder just how much credit Tom Neville could be given for being an _honest_ man. Maybe it had something to do with his son's death having an effect on him. Or maybe, just maybe, he had lied about Jason's death in the first place.

"Mandy, you don't look so well. Why don't you get off of your feet? I'll see myself to Tom's office," Julia squeezed the younger woman's arm and passed by her, sending a warm smile to Mandy on her way.

The brunette just shook her head. Something told Mandy that Sebby was _not_ going to be happy about where this was going.

**That's it for me this time. Reviews are loved!**


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